Sri Lankan shuttlers shine at SA Junior Meet

The Sri Lankan medal winners

BY Susil Premalal
Sri Lanka shuttlers claimed a record tally of nine gold medals and six silver medals at the South Asia (SA) Regional Junior Badminton Championships 2024, held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Reaching all five finals of the Under-17 and Under-15 categories, the Lankan youngsters outsmarted their counterparts from Pakistan, Nepal, and the Maldives to reach all 10 finals in both categories, out of which five were all Sri Lankan clashes.
The only final Sri Lanka failed to complete with success was the Under-17 Boys’ Doubles, where Thejana Herath and Mihila Jayaweera had to contend with the silver medal after losing to Pakistani pair Fahad Ahamed and Kuzaima Shahzad 1-2.
The losing Doubles pair took on each other in the Under-17 Boys’ Singles final, where Herath claimed the gold, outsmarting Jayaweera 2-1.
Nethmi Ratnayake won the gold medal with a straight win in the Under-17 Girls’ Singles against Luckshana Kumar.
Ratnayake and Kumar paired up to defeat Pakistani pair Roshany Ihsan and Samha Naveed to claim the Under-17 Girls’ Doubles Gold Medal.
Jayaweera and Ratnayake teamed up to beat their compatriots Herath and Kumar in the Under-17 Mixed Doubles in straight sets.

Amavan Amarasinghe recorded a straight win against Pakistan player Abdul Haseeb in the Under-15 Boys’ Singles, while Benuri Vidyathilaka recorded a 2-1 win against teammate Thenuki de Silva in the Under-15 Girls’ Singles.
Amarasinghe and Chenal Madapathage paired up to defeat Shahzain Malik and Muhammad Reyan of Pakistan in straight sets to win the Under-15 Boys’ Doubles.
Thenuki de Silva and Benuri Vidyathilaka claimed the gold medal in the Under-15 Girls’ Doubles after a straight win against Maham Zia and Romysa Faisal.
Amarasinghe gained his gold hat-trick after pairing up with Thenuki to win the Under-15 Mixed Doubles, defeating fellow teammates Madapathage and Vidyathilaka 2-1.